Such processes are usually used in manufacturing plants of outside vendors of the automobile industry, e.g., during the mounting of suspension arms. Only ball and socket joints may be considered for use for the articulated mounting of suspension arms in vehicles because of the forces and movements occurring. A ball and socket joint comprises here at least one one-part or multi-part ball and socket joint housing, a one-part or multipart bearing shell, and a ball pivot, wherein the ball pivot is mounted in the bearing shell, which is in turn surrounded by the housing. The ball pivot must be accommodated in the housing or in the bearing shell such that no movements are possible in the axial direction of the ball pivot. This is achieved in practice by an oversize of the ball pivot diameter in relation to the ball pivot opening of the ball and socket joint housing.
A process for manufacturing a ball and socket joint has been known from the German patent application DE 38 26 987. A bearing shell is prepared according to DE 38 26 987 by original shaping around a ball pivot introduced into a housing designed as a mold and the housing is subsequently closed by means of a deformation process. This is followed in practice by the joining with a connecting piece in a separate step. A connecting piece is defined in the sense of the present invention especially as a suspension arm of a motor vehicle.
The drawback arising in the prior-art process is that time, e.g., set-up time, and costs, e.g., transportation costs, are needlessly involved due to a plurality of steps. Furthermore, close tolerances must be maintained, because the different manufacturing processes are not coordinated due to the separate manufacturing sites and it is therefore necessary to maintain the tolerance of the most accurate manufacturing process, even though a greater tolerance would suffice in other manufacturing processes.